Musandam Dhow Cruise
Day Ten - Uzbekistan & Oman - 2025
I opt to take a relaxing cruise in the “Norway of Arabia” rather than spend another day in frenetic Dubai.
1. A View of Musandam
Musandam refers to both the peninsula which forms the northeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the northernmost governorate of Oman.
When I booked my Uzbekistan trip, I noted that the final full day of the tour was on a Thursday; this meant that if I hit all of my connections I’d arrive back in the U.S. sometime Saturday morning. Rather than waste a free weekend day (and preferring not to spend another 24-hours in Dubai) I took a gander at day trip options and realized I could easily join a multi-hour cruise group tour headed to the Musandam Peninsula of Oman during an extended layover. Sold!
The transfer van picked me up at around 0600, admittedly a bit early considering I was going to roll straight into a 14-hour overnight flight that evening. After collecting additional passengers, we reached the UAE-Oman border a couple hours later. Not having much in the way of difficulty getting through the crossing (the tour operator did a fantastic job preparing our paperwork in advance), we were soon at the overlook above the Musandam.
2. Musandam Dhow Cruise #1
An exclave of Oman, Musandam is best known for its scenic boat rides through a region sometimes known as the “Norway of Arabia” due to its deep, narrow waterways surrounded by high mountains.
A short time later we arrived at the marina in the port town of Khasab. What followed was admittedly a bit chaotic; the guests in my van were divided up and each directed to different dhows (boats). I’m not sure what the reason for this was: possibly due to space available, possibly due to language preference, possibly due to that’s-just-how-things-are done. At any rate, I settled onto the dhow and before long we (and every other dhow in the marina, it seemed) set off.
3. Musandam Dhow Cruise #2
Dhows are the most common tourist boats seen in the Musandam Peninsula, most commonly departing from Khasab, Oman.
There are several highlights of the Musandam cruise: first is the stunning scenery in the narrow fjord-like waterways where tall mountain cliffs drop dramatically to meet the sea; second is the crystal-clear water, home to colorful fish and perfect for snorkeling, and; third are the dolphins, which can occasionally be spotted in the open waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
4. Musandam Dhow Cruise #3
Not long after hitting the open water, we could see dolphins popping out of the water. Naturally, this caused a bit of chaos with boats circling around trying to find them once again.
Four more photographs of our Musandam dolphin encounter follow.
5. Musandam Dhow Cruise #4
Dolphins are a common site along the stretch of the Strait of Hormuz besides the Musandam Peninsula.
6. Musandam Dhow Cruise #5
7. Musandam Dhow Cruise #6
8. Musandam Dhow Cruise #7
9. Musandam Dhow Cruise #8
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10. Musandam Dhow Cruise #9
Now somewhat unfortunate for me, there was an incredible amount of haze or perhaps airborne sand which obscured the tall Musandam cliffs quite a bit. I did the best I could, of course, but the photos here aren’t really doing the scenery justice.
11. Musandam Dhow Cruise #10
12. Musandam Dhow Cruise #11
13. Musandam Dhow Cruise #12
14. Musandam Dhow Cruise #13
Qanah - is an Omani village on the Musandam Peninsula only accessible to the rest of the country by boat.
15. Musandam Dhow Cruise #14
16. Musandam Dhow Cruise #15
During the course of our cruise we made two stops: one near Telegraph Island and one near Seebe Island. Here, we had about 30-45 minutes to swim, snorkel, or kayak. Having a flight later that evening and not wanting to travel with a wet bathing suit (or smelling like the sea), I opted to stay on deck (I was really hoping the kayak wasn’t open, then I might have given it a go). As it was, just being in such a majestic place was worthwhile, and you could certainly spot sea life from above - the water is that clear!
17. Musandam Dhow Cruise #16
18. Musandam Dhow Cruise #17
In what felt like an instant (but really five hours), we were heading back to Khasab to disembark. We didn’t spot any dolphins on the return journey, sadly.
19. Musandam Dhow Cruise #18
After disembarking, I met back up with my driver and fellow Dubai travelers and we worked our way back to the UAE. Getting back across the border was a bit of a challenge as compared to the morning; I suspect because all of the tour operators making the Dubai-to-Musandam run are arriving at the crossing at more or less the same time. At any rate, I made it back to my hotel from the night before with plenty of time to grab my stored bag, be told by the nicest hotel concierge ever to “have a great life!”, board the hotel-airport transfer, and catch my long return flight to the U.S. Thankfully the back of the airplane was empty and I had a whole row to myself … I really needed the sleep!
Would I recommend the Musandam dhow cruise? 100% This is an excellent way to spend a day, particularly if you have seen and done everything in Dubai already. My only advice would be to tack an extra hour onto the estimated return time if you will be immediately transferring to the airport as I did.
